Lacing shoe or boot



Sept. 6, 1932. plTTROFF 1,876,263

LACING SHOE OR BOOT Filed Aug. 20, 1930 Patented Sept. 6, 1932 ANDREAS PI'ITROFF, OF DRESDEN-BLASEWITZ, GERMANY naerne SHOE on BOOT Application filed August 20, 1930, Serial No.

The ordinary half-shoe is generally denoted as lacing-shoe, whereas the shoe with a higher top part is generally called lacingboot. Both kinds of shoes possess for the purpose of protecting the stockings below their lacing a strip known as tongue and have the following disadvantages in connection with their lacing-parts.

When these shoes are put on it is necessary to greatly loosen and open the lacing, to which purpose the laces are generally pulled out from the top eyes, especially in the case of the high lacing-boots. On slipping the foot into the shoe the tongue as 3:) Well as the lacing strips must be held fast,

this requiring a certain dexterity, because the tongue or one of the laces will easily slip out of the fingers, so that'it becomes necessary to again take off the shoe already half put on and again rearrange the above named parts of the shoe.

When the foot is at last properly in the shoe the lacing strips have to be pulled tight and their ends fixed by double-knots or howknots in order to prevent them opening as the wearer walks along. However, even a double-knot does not prevent with certain ty the reopening of the tied lacing-strips. On the other hand, when the wearer wants go to take ofi the shoe, the unknotting of the double-knot is apt to cause difficulty if the proper end is not at once caught hold of, because frequently in this case an untyi ng of the knot will become impossible, thus often :7, necessitating cutting the laces in two.

The hanging down of the tied lace loops and ends with the laced shoe can be regarded neither as appropriate nor as beautiful and consequently some efforts have already so been made to do away with this disadvantage. However owing to the different movements of the foot in walking an opening of the lacing cannot well be avoided with the known lacing methods, which consequently 43 do not fully and entirely meet the requirements.

A further disadvantage occurs with the known lacing-shoe in that the tongue, owing to the movement of the foot, is easily shifted 50 towards the front or the sides which often 476,591, and in Germany February 3, 1930.

causes a pressure on the foot and makes it necessary that the shoe be taken off.

These disadvantages with lacing-shoes, viz: half-shoes, as well as lacing-boots, are

overcomeaccording to the present invention by the fact that the prolongation of the tongue is formed as a broad cross-strip either beingmad'ein one piece with the tongue or fixed to the latter and provided at its upper edge with a notch or cut of any desired depth or breadth. p

A lacing-shoe according to the invention is represented on the annexed drawing which shows in i Fig. 1 a plan View of the cross-strip pro- I videdwith a notch or cut, and in Fig. 2 a view of the laced half-shoe having the cross-strip lapped down and fixed by snap buttons.

Fig. 3 represents a plan view of a modified form of tongue, having only a single flap.

The prolongation of the tongue a is shaped to form a broad cross-strip I; either made inone piece with the tongue or fixed thereto, as shown, said cross-strip being, on putting on the shoe, lapped towards the front over the lacing 7 (loosened prior thereto) and thus holds apart the two lacing-halves cl of the shoe. Thus the necessity is obviated of simultaneously holding the tongue and the two lacing parts which is of great advantage particularly for elderly people and other who are unable to bend down easily.

The cross-strip b is provided on its upper edge Or rim with a cut or notch g of any desired depth and breadth, whereby two flaps will occur serving as holders for the laces and tongue.

fter having firmly laced the shoethe hanging down loops and ends of the laces are put beneath the flaps formed by the notch 9, said flaps being bent and laid down over the lacing parts and finally fastened to the latter by means of snap-buttons or the like. To this end the cross-strip Z) can also be provided with a number of cuts or notches and thus also with a number of flaps. The ends of the laces may be held so firmly by means of the flaps that even on making a simple knot a reopening of 4.

the laces is prevented. The notch 9 within the upper edge of the cross-strip 6 possesses the advantage that the thus formed flaps Will easily and closely conform to any shape of the foot. A further advantage results from the fact that the knot mad-e on the front of the foot Will come to lie entirely free and thus can not press on the foot. Consequently the shoes can easily be laced either tightly or loosely because the flaps will adapt themselves to the foot in every position.

In Fig. 3 a mode of construction is shown in Which the flap on the one side of the notch is omitted, so that the other flap 5 forms the cross-strip fixed to the tongue, which crossstrip can, just like in the form shown in Fig. 1, be laid down and fixed by a press-button in order to hold both ends of the laces under the single flap.

What I claim is:

1. In a lacing-shoe or boot, a tongue and flaps projecting therefrom, said flaps being adapted to fold over the upper edge of the shoe at each side ofthe line of lacing, and means laterally removed from the line of lacing for securing the flaps in their folded position.

2. In a lacing-shoe or boot, a tongue and flaps projecting therefrom, said flaps being separated by a notch opposite the middle of the line of lacing and being adapted to fold over the upper edge of the shoe at each side of the line of lacing, and means laterally removed from the line of lacing for removably securing the flaps in their folded position to the outside upper portions of the shoe or boot.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this 6th day of August 1930.

ANDREAS PITTROFF. 

